A Year In Pop: 49

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Santa Claus has well and truly come to town. But also a number of legitimate new entries a-sneakin' in before the year-end curtain falls.

[Poll #1103649]

Comments

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I am pulling up the drawbridge when it comes to Xmas songs because I HATE XMAS BAH HUMBUG. The only one of the new ones I can stand is 'Last Christmas' anyway. I am happy that Mariah got through before the deluge.

I remember Tom calling 'What Hurts The Most' a "dishwater ballad about nothing" when Racist Jo O'Meara first did it. I can't imagine it changed sufficiently to be any good at all.

ANYWAY the only stand-out this week is the amazing 'Bed': I reviewed J Holiday's album (http://arts.guardian.co.uk/filmandmusic/story/0,,2223302,00.html) last week and mostly just went on about how amazing 'Bed' was. SHOW LOVE Y'ALL.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Oh look I come back from lunch and there it remains on ONE TICK. God GET SOME TASTE people (nb: this involves rescinding all ticks for Wizzard, ugh, and Slade, uggghhh).

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

I think 'Bed' is terrible. The vocal is that weedy kind I really dislike and there's nothing about the music to fix on. I will try and think of songs of this ilk I like since Wayne Wonder's 'No Letting Go' (sounds totally different of course but is essentially doing the same thing but loads better) but could be tough.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

J Holiday's voice is not weedy at all! I don't get the 'No Letting Go' comparison, one is a reggae-lite summer jam which isn't particularly sexy, the other is an wintry r&b slow jam entirely about sex. And I love the music, that drip-drip-drip tantalising beat, the way the song ebbs and flows and constantly shifts.

Three things I particularly love about 'Bed':

1) The key change on "I'mma rock your body, turn you over..." - it's really unexpected, it kind of pulls the rug from under your feet (to stick with family-friendly metaphors)
2) The next line - "love is war, I'm your soldier" - recontextualising the whole 'soldier' cliché which is rather prevalent in r&b and hip-hop these days (not that I ever mind it, it's a good and satisfying cliché) - have never heard it used in quite these terms before
3) The absolutely TRANSCENDENTLY GORGEOUS outro - "I'mma send you out into the world with my love", as if he is Jesus and she is his disciple who is going to convert everyone using the power of great sex /// or indeed his love will be like a talisman for her, or armour, protecting her even though she's not with him? It's a brilliant line anyway

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

I wish I could nail exactly why I like some (male-sung) love jams but hate others. Maybe I need a tinge of darkness or angst about it (the odd thing about 'No Letting Go' was that it didn't sound particularly joyous and upbeat) but I'm not sure it's that. Falsetto crooning is a huge turnoff to me. There's snow and then there's just SLUSH!

Actually the pad chords loop reminds me a little of Spiritualised's 'Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space', itself lifting from a classical piece I never remember the name of.

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

'Actually the pad chords loop reminds me a little of Spiritualised's 'Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space', itself lifting from a classical piece I never remember the name of.'

Also used on Coolio's 'C U When U Get There'

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Also there is an amazing BASSLINE remix of 'Bed' which ABSOLUTELY KILLS!

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I've ticked it but srsly check out the Cascada! It's a great example of boshing up a song bringing out its inner diva.